vitriol

From Middle English vitriol, from Old French vitriol, from Medieval Latin vitriolum (“sulphuric acid”), from vitrum (“glass”).

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈvɪ.tɹi.əl/

  • Audio (Southern England)

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vitriol (countable and uncountable, plural vitriols)

1. (dated) any of various metal sulphates.
2. (dated) Oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid).
3. (by extension) Bitterly abusive language.
   • 2012 November 2, Ken Belson, "," New York Times (retrieved 2 November 2012):

     For days, online forums sparked with outrage against politicians and race organizers, a tone that turned to vitriol against runners, even from some shaming other runners for being selfish.

• → Irish: vitrial

vitriol (third-person singular simple present vitriols, present participle vitrioling or vitriolling, simple past and past participle vitrioled or vitriolled)

1. (transitive) To subject to bitter verbal abuse.
2. (transitive, metallurgy) To dip in dilute sulphuric acid; to pickle.
3. (transitive, colloquial) To vitriolize.

Borrowed from Medieval Latin vitriolum.

• IPA^(key): /vi.tʁi.jɔl/

• Audio (Paris)

  (file)

vitriol m (plural vitriols)

1. vitriol (all senses)

• “vitriol”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

From French vitriol.

vitriol n (plural vitrioluri)

1. vitriol